With Iran-backed fighters now holding territory that can threaten Saudi oil exports and Red Sea shipping, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) went to Cairo to seek help containing the fallout after Washington declined to intervene.
Two regional sources said Riyadh wanted Egypt to play a role in Red Sea operations, recalling Cairo's intervention in 2015 when its naval and air forces helped secure Bab el-Mandeb. There was no immediate word on whether Cairo would agree.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment when asked whether MbS had asked for Egyptian military support.
The Houthis also appear to be using their gains to press for broader political concessions.
Former U.S. negotiator Dennis Ross said the group wants Riyadh to lift restrictions on Hodeidah port and Sanaa airport, provide compensation for the war and scale back support for Yemen's internationally recognised government.
"I don't think the Saudis can easily give in to the kinds of demands that they're making," Ross said.
A Gulf official said Saudi Arabia now faced a narrowing set of choices. Allowing the Houthis to consolidate their gains risked turning tactical victories into lasting strategic leverage, while a larger military response could prompt attacks deeper inside the kingdom.
"If you don't inflict enough pain on the Houthis, you become hostage to them," the official said.
Control of territory around Bab el-Mandeb — which lies between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast — could deepen the Houthis' regional reach, putting the Horn of Africa within easier reach of their logistical and smuggling networks.
Combined with Iran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, another vital route for global energy supplies, the foothold gives Tehran and its allies influence over two critical maritime choke points.
MbS's foreign policy strategy, built on trying to stabilise the region via a détente with Iran, has unravelled since the start of the U.S.-Iran war as his economic transformation agenda comes under mounting strain, increasing pressure on the kingdom's de facto ruler.
The absence of Western military assistance in Yemen, and the absence of these powers from a newly formed defence coalition, exposed the limits of its ability to rally support at a moment of acute vulnerability.
Riyadh appears increasingly to have been outmaneuvered by its adversaries and left wanting by its allies.
XLE•
